


Lejonhjärta

by dulceata2



Category: True Blood
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-17
Updated: 2016-11-16
Packaged: 2018-05-21 05:23:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 22,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6039871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dulceata2/pseuds/dulceata2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You are my king, and I am your lionheart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

And as the world comes to an end,  
I'll be here to hold your hand.  
Because you're my king  
And I'm your  
Lionheart.

 

Lionhearts appeared to their "king" when he (or in some cases she) reached their 2000th year. The relationship between king and lionheart was close, they were devoted to each other and intended as guardians to each other, willing to give up their life for each other. Their bond was not physical in the manner of vampire and companion, it was closer to maker and childe - they could sense each other's emotions as well as general location, being able to call each other at need. Normally the king was the strategic leader, while the lionheart was the champion and protector. Lionhearts were generally male, regardless of a "king's" gender, which was why Godric's female lionheart was so rare.  
Her name was Sophia, a discongrously soft sounding name. 

 

"He is missing."  
A voice over the phone snarled, "Again?! For a two thousand year old he is acting like a three-year-old. När jag får mina händer på honom -" [When I get my hands on him]  
Eric quickly put down the phone.  
" Godric kommer inte att vara glad över detta" he muttered to himself. [Godric is not going to be happy about this]

 

He had just snapped the man's neck in disgust and the blonde human was staring at him. In the moment of silence, a snarl ripped through the air.  
"Godric. Min kung."  
He could hear the sarcasm. "min lejonhjärta. What -?  
Her eyes had turned gold as she brushed past the blonde girl. Gold eyes and she was ignoring the human - he was not in her good graces. He was happy she was here, but also a little afraid if he was honest with himself.   
"What do you think, Godric?" she asked rhetorically. "Hello Eric" she greeted the viking as he suddenly appeared beside her.

 

Eric fell to his knees in front of Godric, saying his name like a prayer and ignoring the blonde human who he was so fascinated with. Godric put his hand on Eric’s shoulder but otherwise ignored him, focusing instead on the woman in front of him. He recognized the true threat in the room, even though she was not really threatening him. Just her being there to call him on his actions. Which he now was realizing was foolish.   
"Vi kommer att ha ord." [We are going to have words.]

 

He kept his gaze on her, watching for any sudden movements, "You were a fool for sending the human after me."  
Eric quickly glances over to the other girl. " I was desperate, they seek to destroy you. And I didn’t, I sent your lionheart, the humans just tagged along.”  
" I am aware of what they've planned." A large growl ripped through the air and he sighed.

 

Focusing on the male human, he pointed out “This one betrayed you.” All the eyes turned to the unconscious male consideringly.   
The blonde human, Sookie, stated the obvious, “He's with the Fellowship. They set a trap for us.”   
Eric shrugged as if this was expected.   
"How long has it been since you fed?"  
"I require very little blood. You should go" 

 

A loud keening began to sound in the upper church and lights began flashing. They had been discovered.   
“Save the human.” He ignored the male and extended his hand to his lionheart, “Come.” As he headed toward the stairs and was just about to break into his natural speed, the blonde human made to follow.  
Godric turned to look at her, “Go with him” he motioned towards Eric already done with the situation.  
“ I am not leaving your side until you are... “  
Godric turned with his lionheart by his side. “ I can take care of myself” he murmured distractedly eyes solely on her. 

 

He looked over to the blonde girl pulling on Eric's arm.  
Sookie was having none of it, desperately tugging on Eric’s arm, afraid now that they had been found out. “Come on! We have to go.”

 

As soon as they were out the door she turned to Godric.  
"Mycket lite blod?" [Very little blood?] She bites into her wrist and lets the blood flow from it, well now you're going to have mine, min kung."  
His fangs snicked down at the smell of her blood. The scent was strong and decidedly his.  
In a second he was in front of her, but didn't immediately go for her wrist. Instead he stroked a finger down her cheek. She closed her eyes at the feel of it, reaching up to catch his hand.

 

He stilled even further to consider the moment. To feel it to its full extent. Staring into her eyes he let the bond between them overwhelm him, losing the divide between them and letting them become one. He had missed this. He had forced himself to forget it, willing himself to set her free. The others in the small room faded. Not important at the time.

 

He was trying to ask forgiveness without asking, she was ignoring his unvocalized apology and just feeling. Not ignoring him per se, just being oblivious to his subtleness. He needed to his words. His absence and especially his suicidal tendencies had hurt.

 

"May I?"  
She nodded. "I have missed you, Godric."  
He bit carefully into her wrist.   
Her blood was home. It spoke to him not with words but with feelings and visions. In his mind he saw the vast sienna and the lion protecting her pride, he saw the shield-brothers of his brethren, the wounded lioness still struggling to fight, he felt the touch of the salty winds of the coastal region and the heat of the Egyptian desert at the same time. She tasted of the finest wines, and he had to have a care not to get drunk on it. All this was in a few sips, and he let her go still savouring the taste. 

 

In it he felt her emotions. They were wild. Raging between joy that he had been found and was standing in front of her, sadness that he had been confined in silver, mixed with a different tinge of sadness at his desire to be here and leave. There was anger that he had left her, self-hatred that he would want to hate her, annoyed that the blonde was still yelling in her ear, amusement that the traitor was passed out. Throughout the raging wildness she felt safe, protected, and secure in the presence of his bloodline. And was that a hint of lust for him? That would have to be explored later…  
This was all in a tangled bundle of angst, no single emotion at the same time. He had forgotten how human she felt things.

 

She whispered "du är min kung och jag är din lejonhjärta." [You are my king and I am your lionheart] It was both tender and somewhat angered, tender for the link between them, and angered that he had sought to break their bond. Because even if the link between king and his heart was predetermined and they had yet to share blood, they did have a bond. And he heard her clearly.


	2. Chapter 2

At that moment he tugged her into his arms and burst into speed into the rafters of the church, placing her down beside him and looking down into the erstwhile congregation. Eric had manage to get himself caught and Stan was being murderous. 

 

“Steve Newlin! You have pushed us too far. You expect us to sit on our thumbs while you round up your men to come lynch us? We'll kill you first. Same way we did your father. Destroy all of them. ”  
“Well that helped the situation cowboy.” she heard Eric mutter from beneath the silver he was chained under.   
The vampires flooded into the church, choosing their human, eager for the chance at human blood instead of that disgusting fake supplement. She shook her head, vampires would always be vampires but this just proved the stereotype that people like Newlin had. They weren’t necessarily vicious beasts, but they were acting like it. 

 

Godric waited until all the vampires had swarmed the church, so they could all hear his decree. “Enough! You came for me, I assume. Underlings? “  
Stan sighed, annoyed to be cockblocked. “Yes, sheriff.”  
“These people have not harmed me. You see we can coexist. Mr. Newlin, I do not wish to create blood shed when none is called for. Help me set an example. If we leave you in peace, will you do the same?” He didn’t really expect an affirmative but was willing to put on record that he had at least tried.   
“I will not negotiate with subhumans! Kill me. Do it. Jesus will protect me.”  
Godric shrugged and from his side she saw him throw out his chest and of all things preen, “I am actually older than your Jesus. I wish I could have known him, but I missed it.”  
He motioned at the crowd, spreading his hands like an offering. “2 Good people, who of you is willing to die for this man's madness?   
The silence in the room was deafening.   
“That's what I thought. Stand down, everyone. People, go home. It's over now.   
They fled when given the chance, the vampires watching them condescendingly. 

 

“You’ve been surprisingly quiet min hjärta?”  
“I’m enjoying watching you strut your stuff.”  
“.... I don’t understand…” He asked rhetorically as he jumped down to grab Steve’s throat. “I daresay my faith in humankind is stronger than yours.”  
He threw him to the floor and started walking. “Come” he ordered without looking to see if he was obeyed. 

 

Stan stepped in front of him. “Sir, after what these humans did to you…”  
“I said come.”  
A shiver went down her spine. She loved it when he got all assertive and dominant, it made her feel tingly inside. 

 

She slipped her hand into his and leaned her head onto his shoulder as they exited the church, leaving Eric for cleanup duty. “Strutting” she whispered. His lip twitched up.   
He put his arm around her securely and shot into the sky. At that moment they could forget their troubles and just feel the wind and watch the stars go by. He had slowed down just enough so that it wasn’t just a blur of colour.   
Her laughter filled the night and he smiled to himself, perhaps they were alright. Either that or she was just building an argument. 

 

By the time they landed her laughter had died. A tense silence filled the night. He started walking towards the front door, wanting to go on acting like nothing was wrong.  
“Is this why you wanted me to go? Were you going to leave me?” He heard her whisper from behind him. He stiffened but didn’t turn to look at her.  
“Godric!” she demanded.  
When he finally turned she took a step back at his face.   
“You left” he accused, growling deep in his throat.  
“Wh-what?” she stammered, surprised. “You told me to go, and I quote, ‘do something with yourself, I’m busy.”  
“That isn’t what I meant…” he started. She glared up at him as he had come closer with each second ‘till he was right in front of her. “That is never what I mean” he repeated softly, stroking the side of her face. “I apologise.”  
She held out for a moment, not willing to lose her anger, but then sighed and smiled at him, still hurt but willing to forgive.   
“You know, you guys argue like a married couple” she turned and saw Eric leaning up against his corvette, smirking. She hadn’t heard his car arrive and that irked her, especially because the blonde human was gaping at her.   
“Eric” she stated stonily, without recognizing Sookie. And turned to walk into the front garden within the gates, needing some air to finish cooling down. That and she didn’t really like the other vampires in the nest , except Isabel, and was willing to prolong the exposure. 

 

As the rest of the vampires began arriving, Godric punched in the security code and opened the door. None of the vampires bothered her, Godric had disfigured too many of the foolish ones. The only time he really considered violence as the option, when it was done to protect. As she thought about it, that was a bit hypocritical of him, to say violence was only okay sometimes and in some situations and other times to condemn it completely and to judge those who practiced it regardless of the situation. She had told him so and that was one of the few disagreements they still held, most of the time they were on the same page. 

 

As she meandered through the garden, fingers brushing over the roses in the moonlight, her thoughts wandered. Perhaps she was being too serious, too clingy. She was tied to Godric, true. Their bond was that of a lionheart and king. There was not supposed to be emotional connection, just one of the knight or guard with the monarch. But that wasn’t really the case. She wasn’t sure exactly what she felt, sure she couldn’t deny he was attractive, because he was. But was that it? Was it merely physical lust because she was a female? She shook her head. That was definitely part of it but that wasn’t the entirety. The connection was too deep. She wondered if this was the truth of the bond rather than what it was supposed to be, she hoped not, she hoped that they were special. She thought they were.

 

She remembered how they met and discovered the reality of the myth of the lionheart. He had just reached his second century. He had yet to find Eric and was running through the forests of what is now Sweden, wild and covered completely in blood. He was the handsomest thing she had ever seen, also the most terrifying. It was her twenty-fifth birthday, she thinks, not that they recorded age in the same way. She was part of a warrior tribe, where they worshipped Freyja and the women had relative equality. She was out in the fields with her blade, practicing the sword thrust combination that her brother had shown her earlier, when suddenly he stood in front of her. Of course she reacted by swinging her sword at him.   
“Jag förstår inte” [I do not understand.] he muttered, continuing to dodge her strikes. She was confused as well, He was obviously dangerous and violence personified, but he wasn’t making a move to hurt her, he only surprised her. And she wasn’t afraid.   
Finally she tired herself out and he smirked at her. “What are you called?”  
She had never considered the idea. “Sophia” she stated, coming to a decision after a few moments of considering.   
“I am called Death.”  
She snorted and he frowned at her. “You are not afraid?” he asked. “Strange. I am also called Godric.”  
“What is going on?” she asked, as if he had the answers. 

 

They didn’t find the answers until some years later, after he had found and killed, then raised Eric. Eric was still wild at that point and they decided to pretty much let him run his course while they sought answers from the wise women of different towns. Eventually they found one who knew the answer. And that, of course, was history. 

 

As she concluded walking the grounds of the garden, she hadn’t come to any definite conclusion, but had decided right now wasn’t really the time to focus on their emotional issues. She felt for Godric’s emotional state. He was complacent, a bit bored, but steady. She was the one who had wild emotional leaps.


	3. Chapter 3

She entered the house to hear a human shout out.”Excuse me, everyone if I could have your attention please. I have a message for you all from Steve Newlin.” He opened his jacket to reveal silver chains and a flashing light. Her eyes met Godric’s across the room. He was terrified for her, starting to stand when Luke, the suicidal human, pressed the button that set off an explosion. She noticed things as if they were happening to someone else, right before everything went black. She didn’t feel the shrapnel tear into her, didn’t feel Godric slam her out the door to get her away, too late. Didn’t hear him tear into his wrist and force it into her mouth. 

 

He watched as her body knit back together as he clutched at her, ignoring the blood soaking through his shirt and pant-leg. He had been so afraid when the boy had opened his shirt and he had seen her behind him. He panicked. What if he couldn’t get to her in time? What if his blood didn’t take, after all she hadn’t drank from him before. His mind rushing between options and consequences, but stilling at the prospect of her death. No it couldn’t happen, it wasn’t possible! In the small part of his mind that wasn’t freaking out he was thinking about his plans and how it would free her from the danger that surrounded him. How she could live out the rest of her human life, perhaps find someone to love…. That thought was only subconscious, the conscious part was standing up and rushing to her. Hoping against hope that he could get to her in time and heal her. He didn’t know what he would do if she died. 

 

Finally her eyes began to flutter open, licking her lips at the strange taste on her lips. She stopped at the salty taste and he watched her carefully. Afraid that she would not be happy but really what else could he have done? She had been dying. She met his eyes and slowly licked the rest of his blood from her lips. She could feel the link to him strengthening, but also his link to her as her blood was still in his system. This was their first sharing. It wasn’t the usual sharing but within was the promise of a mutual exchange in a different setting. 

 

His blood tasted like sex, she thought. Or what she imagined sex to taste/ feel like. It was sweet with a slight tang and felt like silk going over her bare skin. He had often told her that her blood tasted like memories, she didn’t have the courage to tell him what she thought his tasted like. 

 

He was staring at her. He thought she was beautiful and that this was what true beauty was. Her hair tossed back and muscles clenching in response to his blood, her lips stained scarlet with it and blue-gold eyes flashing yet framed with black lashes. He was entranced. She was just as beautiful as when he had first seen her, she hadn’t aged or changed at all. He remembered how she had looked when he had first come across her in the moonlight. Moving gracefully between sword movements dark hair hanging down her back in untidy braids, a shock against her pale skin. At first he had thought this was how a maker must feel, but he had no desire to sire her, no hunger either. This confused him for a moment, but he had shook it off and approached her, interest still held. She was no longer rushing towards death at a truly human speed but was taking the slower approach of vampires, relative immortality up until the point that it stopped dramatically. 

 

She leaned against him as she struggled to get up and walk back inside, Godric mentally flustering around her. The surrounding FOTS member being already taken care of by the surviving vamps while she had been healing. They entered the room to see Eric on his back surrounded by silver. SHe was a bit startled to see this as he really should have been able to survive this without harm, what with being over a thousand and on the other side of the room. Then she saw Sookie kneeling beside him and she understood his gamble.   
“Had to shield you” he muttered dramatically. Was she really falling for this? She rolled her eyes at Godric but he was a bit tense. Not amused apparently. The blood is sacred, after all, and eric was way too cavalier with it.   
“Well, hurry and heal yourself, what are you waiting for” Well that was rude, he appeared injured even if he really wasn’t fatally so. She wouldn’t interfere just because Eric would be pissed, but really?  
“Can't. Silver.”  
“I'll go get Godric” she fluttered, not seeing us directly in the door.   
“No time.” Well Eric obviously did. “Suck it out.” And his endgame appears.   
“Eric, I can't, it's too gross and it's you.” She wondered if he had really been all that hurt if she would have stalled. Perhaps Eric should think of that?   
“I-- Dying--.” She was amused, dying was much more graphic but Eric played a good part. She glanced over at Godric. Eric was so going to get her.   
“Oh, son of a mother.” Her eyes shot over to the human to see her kneeling and sucking the silver as well as a good amount of blood from Eric’s chest. Huh, she really fell for that.  
“Sookie, enough” she murmured to her. Eric pouted but Sookie drew back.   
“What do you mean ‘enough’? I sucked out the silver in Eric’s chest, even though I really didn’t want to.”  
When Sookie looked up and saw that Eric was pushing the rest of the silver embedded in his skin naturally without her help she was apalled and looked like she was going to slap him.   
“She was superb.”  
Eric was still smirking “A tiny lie.” This was usual for Eric always manipulating to get his way, although usually he just had to beckon and women fell at his feet. What the viking wanted he usually got. And he wanted Sookie. She didn’t seem to want anything to do with him.  
“He was already healing” she answered. “All the bullets would have pushed themselves out.”  
“You big lying A-hole” she hissed. “I’m never doing anything for you again.” And she had? Wasn’t thsi supposed to bei a rescue mission for Godric? “Monster.” Now she was insulted, they were all a bit insulted. This was the basic vampire politics, shouldn’t she have been more aware of her place, that of beneath her boot. She didn’t realise she was growling slightly, Eric was her pseudo step son, and didn’t that label annoy him immensely? But he suffered through it because really? He had been pretty much raised by her and Godric and was familiar with her temperament. She felt Godric squeeze her slightly since she was still leaning most of her weight on him and he had his arm around her waist. Oh right, he could feel her emotions. This was going to get awkward. 

 

To distract herself she focused on Godric and the destruction. “The cowards who sent children to kill ought to be ashamed of themselves. A vampire showed mercy where they had none.” She turned to Isabel and asked her so Godric wouldn’t have to “How many dead?”  
“Stan, Paolo, Catherine, two human companions” Isabel answered. Stan had always creeped her out the way he watched her with such hunger in his eyes but he hadn’t deserved to die like that. She wasn’t really familiar with the others.   
“Well it looks like it wasn’t a very good bomb” Eric snarked, now up on his face. He was looking at her worriedly, not at all concerned with how upset Sookie was, more worried about how pale and frail Sophia was at that moment even if she had stopped bleeding. He could tell Godric was worried as well. 

 

Isabel decided to round everybody up. “Everyone please, they may come back. Go to Hotel Camille, they have been alerted, security is in place.” Everyone quickly filed out, collecting their humans as they went. They were all still a bit glazed, their sharp minds shocked that the humans had dared to attack the vampires in their own nests, killing off one of their own in such a way. Humans usually clung to their short lives. The fact that one so young should have been taboo. It was different for vampires, they were more blase about killing, what with living in a world soaked in violence and death. 

 

Godric headed towards his personal SUV, not trusting her health to flying, a feeling of foreboding shivered down her neck, but she brushed it off. The car ride was silent. Godric made sure to always have some kind of physical contact with her, brushing over her arms or stroking her hair. She was content to just rest on him.  
Meanwhile Godric was thinking over his plans. Obviously she would be safer with him not around. He couldn’t ensure her safety by doing this. He had his decision from her, he had enough practice what with hiding things from Eric. 

 

Eric knew his maker was hiding something, some decision he had come to, and it most likely had to do with Sophia. He wasn’t jealous, she was his maker’s lionheart, almost like his dual maker, a second mother. Not that she was at all maternal, she would beat him thoroughly when he challenged her to a scrimmage with swords, or when he was making a nuisance of himself, or really just when the mood hit her. He had been something of a wild stag, still was to be honest, but always respectful, even when he annoyed them. And most of the time they were joined at the hip, they rarely argued. Sure they might have differences of opinion, but they always quickly came to a compromise. That was why this was so strange. Not just the bombing as he could almost disregard that as the usual violence in the grand scheme of things. What was strange was the distance between them. They were physically connected and the bond was still there. The link was just more strained, each going in different directions. Sophia was obviously unhappy with Godric’s actions and decisions, hell he was livid that Godric had walked calmly into that cage. But at least her actions and feelings were pointed towards reaffirming the bond and the bloodline. Godric seemed to pulling away, trying to distance himself. For the greater good? This worried him immensely. Added on to the concern over Sophia’s health he was a bundle of vampire nerves, and this irritated him so that he ignored Sookie. He wanted to get in her pants that didn’t mean she wasn’t an immature blonde sometimes. And that wasn’t really an insult seeing as his hair was blonde as well. 

 

While Eric was having his internal monologue, they arrived at the hotel. Godric nodded to the hostess and quickly sped to his room, Sophia having fallen asleep in the car, she was cradled in his arms. It was the sleep of the last stages of healing. His blood was strong but she had been very close to the explosion and her injuries had been numerous. His blood had had to heal all the cuts and broken bones as well as her concussion. Fortunately he had gotten to her in time to push her away so that she wouldn’t be shredded. Stan hadn’t been so lucky. 

 

He lay her on his bed, needing to have her close after he’d had such a fright. He didn’t think she’d mind, they’d shared sleeping space before. In the early days they had often had to, and she had often said he had the most comfortable pillows. The perks of being a sheriff.   
He watched her for a moment, gently stroking her hair. Then he sped out of the room to make a call to the Authority. He was done.


	4. Chapter 4

*warning* pretty racy sex scene that isn't really necessary to read just know it exists if you want to skip it*

“Little lioness” Godric purred as he appeared from the shadows of the bedroom, surprising her. She had just stepped out of the bathroom and was still only wrapped in a towel, hair loose around her shoulders, still slightly damp. “Lejonhjärta,” he continued, rumbling as he stalked forward. She clutched the towel to her closer to her chest.  
“Godric?” she asked, unsurely. This was unusual for him, usually he let her come to him, or at the very least waited until she was a bit more clothed.  
His eyes full of desire and wicked intent, “You know” he stated offhandedly as if the question did not concern him all that much, though the intent look of his eyes belied him. “I am known to be a lion in bed.” He paused waiting for her to respond. When she remained silent he continued. “Do you want me to show you?” He smirked at her confounded expression, feeling the lust coming off her and smelling it. She noticed he was shirtless, his tattoos standing out starkly against his pale skin around his collar and hips. He was only wearing simple linen pants hung low so that a hint of dark hair peeked over the top of them, and a sharp fang was hanging daringly from his lips. She saw him flex his abs, which were quite impressive, but she flushed at his flexing and his knowing stare. Perhaps her gawping had been a bit obvious. 

She could feel herself blushing as the heat rose up through her face at his proposal. It wasn’t like intimate relations were completely new to her. It’s pretty much how she always reacted to Godric.  
Godric is suddenly before her and was right up against her, she could feel his cool temperature, but at this point, she was so overheated at his proximity she barely felt it. She could feel every inch of him. The coiled muscle of his thighs and the hard ones of his stomach and the chest, as well as other anatomy. She could feel the large bulge in his pants brush up against her hips, their height differences making her feel its size intimately. His hand reached up to cup her face, slowly stroking down the side of her cheek as the other arm circled her waist. A shiver going through her body as he gently traces the curve of your spine with one of his hands of his. She was overcome by the feeling of his sheer size this close, his presence, his broad shoulders and stature. He leans down and his masculine, warm scent makes her dizzy as he puts his lips to her ear. He smells like pine trees and the sea breeze, like musk and old wine. His breath is warm and her heartbeat quickens.

Her towel loosens and drops to the floor unnoticed as he dominates her senses. All she can see is him, all she can taste, and smell, feel and hear. His voice makes her shiver at the thought of what he was offering, heat pooling between her legs. His gentle touch is at the base of her spine, and now his touch becomes rougher, more commanding as he grips the flesh of her body, pulling her up against him completely as he plants his lips firmly on hers. 

She realizes she has a hand to his chest as she feels his low growls reverberate under her palm. At this moment she understands that he was the primal alpha male, not the calm sheriff. He was the aspect of Death that he had first introduced himself as, though perhaps that Death had been calmer and not blatantly trying to fuck her. Now there was really no “try” in his actions, he would fuck her. And what’s more she would like it.  
He kisses her ferociously, his lips soft yet demanding as he ravishes her mouth. Their tongues battle as she retains enough of her mind to challenge him, unwilling to be so easily subjugated, at least in that matter. His hands tighten around her, but he remains careful not to hurt her, taking care to manage his still unsheathed fangs. 

Godric started walking her backward towards the bed, eventually making her fall back onto the cream sheets. “A picture” he murmurs. He grins sharply as she looks up at him and hovers over her, hands on either side of her head as he leans over her. He trails open-mouthed kisses down her throat to her collarbone, then continues down to suckle on her left nipple, his other hand stroking around her body to massage her right breast. She groans at the feel of his hands on her bare skin and lips on her body, possessive, cool. She tilts her neck to the side, exposing the smooth flesh to him, but he ignores this in favour of exchanging nipples and his hands moving down to circle her waist. The vibrations from his growls affecting her mind and making her squirm for something only Godric could give her. She moaned and arched upwards, aching for completion. “Vi har bara börjat min lejoninna” [We’ve only just begun, my lioness] he murmured chuckling slightly into her breast. “Kommer ni att ge så tidigt?” [Are you going to give in so early] he continued.  
She grabbed his hair, tugging slightly in reply. He gave a dark chuckle and nipped her slightly, not drawing blood just letting her know he could.  
He draws back and looks down her body slowly, letting her feel each lustful glance. She flushes and starts to move her hands to cover herself, but he catches them before she can. “Stoppa” [Stop] he murmured. “Det finns ingen anledning att vara generad. Jag vill träffa dig” [There is no need to be embarrassed. I want to see you]. “I know your body very well” he switches to English, teasingly. She smiles waveringly at this, slowly letting her hands relax under his.  
The smile quickly turns to a gasp as Godric slides his other hand down between her thighs, gently caressing. Another moan escapes her lips as with a feather light touch he strokes her clit with just the right amount of pressure. She didn't know how a man who exudes such power was capable of such a gentle touch. Looking up into his eyes, she sees that now familiar lustful gleam in his eyes. The gleam that told her how much he was enjoying taking this and his intention of taking her every way possible, and making sure she enjoyed it too.

“så våt liten lejoninna, skulle man kunna tro att du värkande för något” [So wet, little lioness, one would think you’re waiting for something] he whispered into your ear], slipping a single finger inside her. She cries out, unprepared, and sags in his arms. He supports her weight with ease, keeping her pressed against him while he leaves angry red marks on her neck, still not drawing blood. Herr body throbs and screams with need as he slowly but forcefully works her with his fingers. Gods, he feels so good as he slips another finger in and curls them slightly, brushing against that spot inside her that made her melt even more. She isn’t even fully aware of the sounds and moans she’s making but they seem to spur him on as his movements get quicker and he growls against her neck, pleasure burning her body.  
She reaches for him, desperate for him to do something.  
“Ännu inte min kärlek, inte förrän jag säger” [Not yet my love, not until I say] he chuckled. His voice had gotten even deeper and more husky, he was clearly affected but somehow still managing to sound commanding. She had to choke back a moan as her body throbbed with need at his words. She waits, knowing that he was fully in control. But waiting for him to make the next move is almost unbearable as he looks down at her, eyes full of passion and want. After a few moments, he moves and in one harsh movement spreading her legs and proceeding to trail his lips all the way down to the center of her body. Her heart pounds wildly as trails of fire dance along her skin where his lips touch. He kisses and licks her everywhere, her inner thigh, around her entrance, her clit, and then the same on the other side, slow, torturous, teasing, everywhere but where she needs him to touch. She squirms and whimpers under his ministrations but he holds her down firmly until finally, she can't take his sweet torture any longer.  
Arching up against him, she pleads “Godric, please!” Her body is burning. She needs him. He smirks down at her, taking pleasure from knowing he has succeeded in driving her quite mad. Her body throbs with a need so fierce it borders on downright painful, and just as she is about to beg again, the words get choked in her throat as he plunges his tongue inside her, swirling and sucking at her entrance. She cries out as he pleasures her, not caring how loud she no doubt is, not caring who else is listening, as he sucks at her clit. She can feel the pleasure building up in the pit of her stomach, higher and higher until she thinks she might faint. Her fingers tangle in the mess of his hair as he slips his finger back inside her, still licking and sucking at her as he slowly drives her closer and closer to climax. Just a few more seconds and she’ll be in Valhalla…  
When suddenly he stops.  
He grins wickedly at her, that mischievous glint still in his lust filled eyes. Already she can feel her climax which had been so close fading away. He pulls his fingers out of her and sucks one of them, purposefully maintaining eye contact.  
“Hur bra du smaka” [How good you taste] he murmured tauntingly. She was surprised that he was able to taste that, but wouldn’t put it past him to force himself to drink it even if it couldn’t last. 

He is going to pay for that. He crawls up her body and kisses her hungrily, hands either side of her head. Reaching down into his trousers, she gently took his hard length into her hand. He sucks in a breath sharply and shuts his eyes as she plays with him, pushing his trousers down with her other hand so she has better access to him and he collapses on top of her. When he opens them again, the mischievous glint is gone and in its place was a blazing lust so fierce she thinks it could consume her. That's better. She smirked up at him.  
Using the leverage of the bed, she rolls so that she ends up straddling him. He looks up at her, hands gripping the flesh of her hips and breasts and ass as she slowly works him with her hands. “Lejonhjärta” [Lionheart] he breathes.  
He groans as she leans forward and kisses his collarbone, his chest, moving down to his navel, then lower still. His breathing grows shallow as she drags out her torture as long as he did his. She scratches his inner thigh lightly with her nails, making him jerk in response. She looks up at him and sees that he is watching her intently, that fire burning fiercely in his eyes as she teases him. She flicks her tongue once across his tip, already dripping with precum and his eyelids flutter and he gasps. The sound is marvelous, but it's nothing compared to the hoarse shout she receives when she takes him into her mouth. He bucks his hips and she chokes a little on his size. He restrains himself from moving anymore, gripping the sheet, letting her do all the work and willing losing his dominant position. She watches those delicious muscles on his torso tense and relaxes as he breathes heavily, those strong arms and that incredible jawline as he throws his head back against the bed. He groans and his fingers sink into her hair as she pleasures him, sucking and swirling her tongue. His response to her only makes her ache for him even more, knowing that she is able to please him.  
Suddenly he flips them over, reversing the positions and wraps her legs around his waist. Without anything more, he thrusts into her until he is buried to the hilt. He feels big, bigger than she expected, but he doesn't even give her a moment to adjust to his size before he pulls his hips back again until only the very tip of him is inside her, and slams back in. Slowly his pace increases until he's pounding into her, her cries of pleasure muffled by his lips. Gods, she’s never felt anything this good before. The sight of him of above her, the force of his hips slamming into her, the weight of him so delicious between her thighs. She cries out as he takes her – he is animalistic and primal in every sense of the word – taking what he needs from her, a low growling rumble in his chest as he possesses her.  
He slows his pace, his thrusts lush and full, making her want to beg for mercy as he hits that spot inside of her that makes her want to scream. She can feel her orgasm building and she knows instinctively as his hoarse breathing scorches her skin that his was too. He mutters something under his breath in the ancient language of his homeland that she doesn’t understand and she shudders at how incredible the heavily accented, the harsh language sounds on his tongue. There's a shift in his movements again and with each and every thrust he pushes her closer and closer to her orgasm, right to the edge until he finally pushes her over, and she's falling through stars, clutching him against her as her insides spasm around him, the intensity of it like nothing she's ever felt. You feel him shudder above you, his thrusts erratic now as he finds his own climax, a hoarse growl in his throat. As he reaches his peak he bites into his own wrist and thrust it into her lips, his fangs lengthen his head rears back and he sinks them into her exposed throat. The sharp pain creates another layer that prolongs her pleasure and she vaguely notices this strange kink of hers. To mix pleasure with pain was a vampire’s wet dream. And she felt Godric’s appreciation for this as he drinks deeply at the same time she drink from him. She shares blood and glory in the feeling.  
He collapses on top of her but after a few moments, she could feel him hardening again, the perks of vampire stamina. He rises so he's kneeling on the bed, bringing her up with him. Her back presses against his chest and his hand slides down her stomach, down to touch her gently between her legs. She groans, her head resting against his shoulder. She’s not sure she can take him again so soon, but before she can protest he pushes you forward onto all fours. He leans over and covers her body with his own and growls slightly in her ear. “Vi på något sätt gjort mitt hjärta” [We’re in no way done my heart].

Just as her body was beginning to respond but before he could actually do anything. She woke up.


	5. Chapter 5

At the start of Sophia’s dream Godric slipped through the doorway to watch, entranced. He had known it was highly likely that she would have such a dream but he hadn’t thought he’d be so affected by it. He refused to invade her mind, but watching her sleeping body and tracking her emotions? That was completely acceptable. 

 

He watched her thrash and arch up out of the bed and felt the lust coming from her in waves and then the pleasure, the sense of completion and satisfaction. Was this dream just an aspect of his powerful blood? He didn’t think so there was too much emotion involved.   
He found himself imagining what could she be dreaming, how would she look when she was in the throws of passion and looking at the real him? Before he realised, he was seeing her panting before him as he thrust into her. Her eyelashes fluttering and her hair tousled as he bit into her neck. He had to physically restrain himself not to approach her at that moment. He felt himself grow painfully hard and he felt an all encompassing wave of lust and need. He tried to tamp it down and mostly succeeded by thinking of werewolves in a bikini, but not before his emotional cocktail got transferred to his viking childe, who, undoubtedly, would give him grief about it.

 

In a different room, the blonde viking lifted his head and laughed “Finally!”

 

Godric felt Sophia begin to stir and quickly sped out of the room, but he was still having some difficulties and forgot to close the door. He was overwhelmed by this epiphany, he knew he cared for her. Knew there was a certain connection due to the lionheart bond as well as affection individual from the link that was more personal. He had thought he was merely fond for her, willing to accept his care for her and her for him. He hadn’t realised just how deep that affection ran and that it ran to attraction and passion. He thought he loved her, and that scared him a little that he wouldn’t be able to go through with his plans. He had always denied the possibility to his childe, but perhaps he was wrong. 

 

He forced his mind to attend to the impending meeting with Nan Flanagan, grimacing in distaste as he slowly wilted. He would leave his final act for after all his duties had been finished. Then he would make her safe. Without him. 

 

Sophia woke up confused for a moment why Godric wasn’t with her in bed. Then when she figured it out she was furious. Not with Godric, he couldn’t help it, but with herself, she had obviously broadcasted to their whole bloodline. But she couldn’t focus on that as she still felt so needy at the tail end of organism and the prospect of another that was never fulfilled. She felt as if something was missing both physically and mentally. As if she was on the brink of some discovery that never came to pass. She ached, her body crying out for something, and in all honesty she was somewhat angered that Godric wasn’t there to help her out. The open door meant someone had been there and she somewhat suspected who.   
She slowly got up to get dressed, body aching in places that she never knew could ache. 

 

At an hour before midnight Godric and the others, Eric and Isabel for one, though somehow no one questioned William and Sookie’s appearance. Or at least not out loud. Eric was sitting protectively next to Godric, Isabel on his other side. When the door suddenly banged open and a bony blonde with too much makeup and pearls walked in, nobody jumped except Sookie, too used to Nan’s dramatics.   
“Do you have any fucking idea of the PR mess you've made? And who fucking has to clean that shit up? Me. Not you, me. I should drain every one of you bastards.”  
Isabel tried to placate her. Stan went after the church on his own. None of us knew anything about it.”  
“Oh, really?” she asked somewhat sarcastically. “Because everyone who met Stan in the last 300 years knew he had a kink about slaughtering humans. But you, his nest mates, his Sheriff, had no clue” she snarled this last bit, but since she was only in her second century it looked a bit pathetic, like a baby bat.  
“And how were we supposed to know that this time he meant it?” Isabel demanded, affronted.  
“Not my problem. Yours “ she waved her hand dismissively  
“Don't talk to him that way” Eric challenged. Ah Eric always loyal to the end.  
“Don't talk to me that way” she sassed back. Then her attention shifted to Godric, “Let's get to the point. How did they manage to abduct you?”  
“ They would have taken one of us sooner or later. I offered myself” he answered as if it made perfect sense.   
“Why?” she asked. A very good question.   
“Why not?” Godric answered passively.  
“They wanted you to meet the sun” she was trying to work it out, “And you were willing.”  
What do you think?   
“I think you're out of your mind.” A growling could be heard in the far reaches of the room, Nan ignored it as irrelevant but the other vampires’ attention was caught. Only Godric seemed to be a bit more alarmed and subsequently was a bit more distracted than Nan preferred.   
“And then I hear about a traitor?”  
“Irrelevant” Godric denied. “Only a rumor, I'll take full responsibility.”  
“You bet you will.”  
“You cold bitch” Eric rose to attack her, but stopped at Godric’s hand on his shoulder, he shook his slightly and Eric sunk back down in a pout.   
“Listen, this is a national vampire disaster and nobody at the top has any sympathy for any of you. Sheriff, you fucked up. You're fired.” Nan demanded assertively. From the depths of the room behind the seated figures a deep snarl sounded. Nan’s eyes flickered around concerned, but ultimately dismissed it as coming from Eric which was to be expected. Eric was growling but the sound was not limited to him.  
“I agree, of course. Isabel should take over” Godric’s expression didn’t change. He made no note of it in his face but his body stiffened slightly. “She had no part in my disgrace.”  
“Godric, fight back” Isabel whispered, even though everybody in the room heard her.   
“What are you saying? She's a bureaucrat, you don't have to take shit from her” Eric turned to Godric and asked furiously, it was almost like he was a bit disappointed in Godric, but he wouldn’t dare.   
You wanna lose your area, viking?  
You don't have that kind of power.  
Hey, I'm on TV. Try me.  
“I'm to blame. I should have contained Stan the second Godric went missing” Isabel tried to deflect attention.   
“Isabel” Godric warned.   
“I remove myself from all positions of authority.”  
Suddenly the snarling figure was crouching figure was crouching in front of Godric, long animalistic fangs bared at Nan and eyes burning gold and slitted. No one had seen her come in, no one had seen her move. Eric looked like something he had expected had finally arrived but inched back slowly, not willing to be in the firing range.   
Nan didn’t seem to know what to do. It was an unspoken rule that their presence would remain hidden from all except a bloodline that preceded the Authority. Nan obviously didn’t know about the lionhearts bond to the ancient as the elder vampires had decided to keep it secret else an effort was made to delete their presence from ancients and thus deplete their security. Sure the ancients were respected but most didn’t want the to get too powerful, especially considering the violence of most vampires. Nan didn’t recognize her, though she saw that she was obviously a threat, contained by Godric’s hand on her shoulder momentarily.   
She wasn’t all there at the moment, too consumed in protecting Godric from the threat she perceived in the conference. Her instincts were running wild and she was more animal than human. The lionheart was innately the protector after all. Not that Godric wasn’t perfectly capable, but she defended when he would not.  
Her attention shifted when the human in the room stood up and interrupted. She bared her fangs at her, the human had no place in vampire affairs. She would only make things worse. Godric tugged slightly on her hair to reprimand her and she settled with a grumble. 

 

Sookie completely ignored her, it was almost like she couldn’t see her, either brave or stupid. Eric began to wonder about his human interest.  
“I owe him. Ms.Flanagan, Godric rescued me from a really large rapist who probably would've killed me too” Sookie stated as if that was the important matter. If they were human it might have made them reconsider things, since they weren’t it didn’t.   
“That's nice. Moving on” Nan interrupted.   
“No, listen-- And then he rescued humans in that church plus a whole lot of vampires. You think it's a PR mess now, it could have been a hundred, a million times worse. You should thank him.” Didn’t she realise that everyone in the room could easily kill her?  
“For getting kidnapped? For attracting a suicide bomber? For piss-poor judgment? I think not.”  
Godric grabbed Sophia’s shirt collar and tugged as she lunged towards Nan, all without changing his expression, just moving his arm to force her down in front of him like his movements were not of importance. He didn’t say a word hoping to hide her in plain sight, but his eyes flicked down to hers. The newly made blood bond sang though cautioning her to have a care and warning her of his displeasure that was confusingly mixed with happiness at her willingness to defend him and assurance of his proximity.   
“Tell me about the bombing, please” Nan asked more politely.   
“A boy walked in the lair. I thought he was someone's human companion” Godric answered slowly stroking Sophia’s hair to calm her. Her loud snarls had quieted to grumbles that had calmed under his touch but held the promise of imminent violence still as her eyes remained golden and fangs prominent. She was beautiful still in her rage, not the same as her more delicate human visage but strong and proud without altering that much of her body’s structure. 

 

Eric was amused at the obvious affection between his maker and his lionheart. He had seen them act in such a manner before of course but it always interested him. He wondered if he would have such a bond with his lioness when he reached two thousand. Because of course he would reach it, he was Eric Northman, descendant of vikings and a warrior himself. 

 

Sookie just now noticing the girl at Godric’s feet startled and jumped back, fearful. Really over dramatic much?  
“Wh-what? She stammered. “What are you?”  
“That’s really not any of your business” Eric drawled. He was interested in Sookie but protection of the bloodline and protection of Godric especially, came first. He underplayed it because he didn’t want Sookie to sink her nose in it, and ultimately get it snapped off.   
“Of course it is!” Sookie snapped. “She could eat me” Sophia looked faintly disgusted at the idea.   
Eric raised his eyebrow. “Darling, everything in this room could eat you.” Sookie huffed. “Do you want me to eat you in a different way? he leered at her.   
“What a fucking fiasco” Nan interrupted. “You're lucky I don't send you all to the Magister. Godric, come to my suite to fill out the forms.”  
“Soon. First I have something to say.” Sophie’s eyes now fading back to blue and fangs retracted snapped to Godric’s. What was he doing?


	6. Chapter 6

“I'm sorry. I apologize for all the harm I've caused, for all our lost ones, human and vampire. I will make amends, I swear it.” His beautiful voice still seemed so sad and despondent. As if he had already given up. Where was he going? Where had her king gone?.Her eyes searched his, looking for answers. She found none, she never did. He was already distant.   
“Take it easy, it's just a few signatures” Nan assured him walking out of the room quickly while trying to appear unfazed. That strange girl who was obviously something more than human yet not vampyr alarmed her. Obviously the magister had refrained from telling her something important. 

 

No.” Eric seemed to have a feeling on what Godric’s intentions were, he was perhaps a bit more familiar with Godric’s mindset now, after all she had been sent away to increase her education and gain her second degree for several years. Godric had obviously changed drastically in the interim. He used to be more emotional, more willing to communicate with her. She had felt it when he closed the sire/maker bond with Eric, but she didn’t think Eric had let that fly.   
“Look in my heart.” Perhaps he had though.   
“You have to listen me” Eric begged almost desperate.   
“There's nothing to say.”  
Sookie had distracted her from the rest of the conversation, she tried to keep an ear open but the screeching blonde in her face was too much.  
“Tell me” Sooke hollered at her.   
She pretended to consider a moment “ Hmmm…. No. It really isn’t any of your business.”   
“Because I’m human?” Sookie scoffed.  
“Because you aren’t of the bloodline.”   
“What kind of reason is that?” Sookie demanded, obviously not understanding the importance of what she said.   
“You shouldn’t even be here, this was a meeting of vampires for vampyr concerns. You shouldn’t have interfered.” Isabel entered the conversation and told the girl softly. She liked the human, she was a breath of fresh air, but sometimes too fresh. She had caused more problems by her presence than without.   
“I was trying to help” Sookie stuttered, tears glistening in her eyes. There she was suitably distracted. 

 

“There is” Eric denied.   
“On the roof.” Godric walked calmly out of the room and then sped to the roof access, hoping he could get this done while his lionheart was still distracted, refusing to notice the small twinge of guilt in the back of his mind for not even saying goodbye.

 

She looked around, not seeing Godric, not seeing where her king had gone, but feeling in her heart that something was going to go terribly wrong, that something had already started to go wrong. 

 

On the roof, Godric had succeeded in avoiding Sophia and he hoped she would remain downstairs, but his childe had followed him, which in all honesty wasn’t really a better option.   
“Three thousand years is enough” Godric stated calmly, still looking towards where he knew the sun would rise. This was right. This is what was needed to protect her. He could let it all go, he would. The pain would be worth it.  
“I can't accept this, it's insanity.” His childe was just making this more difficult, he loved him so he let himself be stalled, still waiting for the sun. He wanted to shout at Eric to let him do this, but out of love he humoured him.   
“Our existence is insanity” Godric tried to explain “We don't belong here.” This didn’t really make sense in his mind, who decided what belonged after all, but he was willing to play a part to convince Eric to leave. He knew he wouldn’t have been able to act such a part for Sophia. He was keeping track of her that she wouldn’t suddenly appear and ruin his stage acting. He wouldn’t do that to her, he could barely do it his childe. He made the mistake of assuming his childe was made of sterner stuff, falling prey to the old gender stereotyping without even realising it.   
“But we are here” Eric refuted, Shouting emotionally.   
“It's not right. We're not right.” When he was younger this would have led to queries on what exactly is right or wrong? How do you define such an arbitrary thing? What is truth? He had been a bit of a presumptuous philosopher when he was coming down from being a bloodthirsty demon. We all have our extremes.   
“You taught me there is no right and wrong. Only survival or death” Eric tried a different tactic, reminding Godric of the past and his duty to teach his offspring.   
“I told a lie, as it turns out.” Godric wasn’t falling for it.   
“I will keep you alive by force” Eric threatened desperately.   
“Even if you could, why would you be so cruel?”  
“Fader, broder, son” [Father, brother, son] Eric called out to him, seeking to remind him of their connection. “Kung” [King] he added as his last effort.  
“Let me go” Godric pleaded. He wasn’t sure what he would do if Eric discovered that once dead a maker’s commands disappeared and the childe could do whatever he or she desired, better to convince him to forget his desire.  
Eric didn’t blame Godric from choosing to do this without his lionheart, she wouldn’t have taken it well and really he wouldn’t have been able to consider it if she had been in front of him. “I won't let you die alone.” Eric told him forcefully, not yet giving up. It was a warning to Godric but he meant it with his whole being. If his maker truly wished to die and he couldn’t persuade him otherwise, he would go willingly into the sun, he wouldn’t go alone. Blood tears had begun falling from his eyes but he didn’t wipe them away, hoping that the pathos would help to convince his maker.   
“Yes, you will.” Godric said kindly, giving him an out even if he didn’t want one.   
“As your Maker I command you” he stated at last forcing his will in the decree without any expectation of it being challenged.


	7. Chapter 7

Then Sophia was walking up onto the roof, growling softly but distinctly. Godric flinched, he had forgotten to keep track of her. And now she was here, and he would have to come up with a new explanation in the time it took for dawn to break, that is he wanted to do this here. There were too many variables and possibilities of failure anywhere else. There was no time for him to prepare a valid argument and he floundered.   
She interrupted his mental scrambling with a disturbingly quiet query, as if she expected an answer that would hurt her. “Is this what you really want min kung [my king]?”  
Godric nodded cautiously, she was using his unofficial title and relation to her unofficial status to address him. He knew he was hurting her, but she would forgive him. Eventually. And he wouldn’t be here to deal with the fallout, he could smell the sun approaching. He just had to hold out for a few more minutes.   
“Are you willing to murder me as well?” she continued to tear at what remained of his heart strings.   
“What do you mean?” he demanded, horrified that she might meant her true death rather than a theoretical death. He would not consider this, surely she was over dramatizing.  
“I’ll give you a reason to live” her growls increased as he seemed to be denying the possibility. “Your death means mine!” she was snarling now, angered that Godric was doing this to her, doing this to himself. 

 

She still remembered the evening the old wise women had told her about the repercussions of the lionheart bond. Godric had left to hunt for his supper, which she really didn’t want to think about, still somewhat unsure of his nature as vampire even if she understood that the predator/prey distinction was part of nature, and she was turning to go when her arm was grabbed by the surprisingly strong one of the old woman. In the dim recesses of the ramshackle hut that they found her, the woman had looked to be on her deathbed, wrinkled and frail, with rheumy eyes. “Child” she croaked out. 

 

“What did you think being a lionheart meant?” she demanded somewhat sarcastically.  
“Why?” Godric stuttered, still horrified. 

 

Eric had remained kneeling but now he was staring at the two, equally horrified. Sookie had begun to come up the stairs to the roof but for once didn’t interfere and remained silent. 

 

“This means your death” the old crone continued ominously. “For if he should die” she sighed out “ then so shall you. Your heart is a lion’s” she pressed her hand over Sophia’s heart. “For it shall rip and tear out of your chest, and the lion’s fangs will consume your heart which beats to the same tune as his” she cackled. She quickly left to the hut, searching for Godric, hoping he would reassure her. Yet afraid that he wouldn’t be able to. He was a vampyr, he was immortal she told herself, and surely he wouldn’t seek the true death. She was haunted by the old woman’s resounding prophecy “He will be your doom.”

 

“Because your death means I failed to protect you” she said flatly.   
The silence hung heavy in the air as the ramifications sunk into Godric’s horrified face. Eric was stunned at just how deeply their bond ran. Godric needed his lionheart, she is what kept him sane. This at least would keep him alive, he thought. 

 

As the sun began to creep over the horizon, she was suddenly in the shadow of the roof entrance, standing next to Eric and Sookie, with no sign of Godric.


	8. Chapter 8

Godric was running. He couldn’t go outside because of the sun so really he was hiding in the hotel making a nuisance of himself in the kitchens. This was one place at least where he wouldn’t be found by other vampires. He enclosed himself in the freezer, very few people went in there except for the odd nights they were serving glace in the human restaurant. He was beginning to see the merits of catering to humans in a hotel that self-labeled as a vampire one. He needed to be alone to work out his thoughts, that and how to find his way back into his lioness’s good graces. He couldn’t decide what to do, what to think and what to feel. And he hated it. He had always been praised for his direction of purpose, always knowing what to do for every circumstances, even as a boy. That was what had made him a warrior and about to be appointed chieftain. Now all was lost in turmoil of thought. So many possibilities and feelings pounding in his skull and he couldn’t decide.   
He had pretty much destroyed the rapport they had built for the past thousand years. He considered calling Eric to him, and asking him about the best way to appease a woman, but he negated that idea quickly. Eric was most likely equally angered, scared at the possibility of him dying, which would make him more volatile. No, he thought, Eric was to be avoided equally so, at least until he had time to calm down. 

 

Sookie moved to say something to placate Sophia who was obviously still furious, but before she could Sophia was pushing past her using speed she didn’t know that she had. Godric’s blood must be stronger thought.

 

Eric was angry. How dare Godric want to leave him. Wasn’t he good enough? How dare Godric want to leave his lionheart? He considered her to be his maker as well, but more like a mother than a sire. Which was strange since his body was several years older than her and Godric’s but that didn’t change how he felt. He was concerned for Sophia, Godric had dealt her a confidence blow about the importance of their bond, about the importance of her. Sure he was selfishly feeling abandoned by Godric, but also worried for the sense of betrayal coming off Sophia. He subconsciously knew Godric had been trying to protect her, but consciously he couldn’t feel that. He was worried Godric would try again regardless of his lionheart. That he would find some way to break the consequences. And he was sad that Godric would feel the need to leave them and this world. Sad that he was tired. As he made his way off the roof, ignoring Sookie completely for once, with blood tears still drying on his face he was conflicted. Who to go to first, mother or maker? The answer wasn’t as obvious as you would think, sure Godric was his maker and usually that would be the way to go. But he was pissed at Godric and worried about Sophia’s mental state. 

 

Sookie was miffed, she had wanted to save Godric and have Eric indebted to her. She had ignored Bill’s wishes and made her way up to the roof only to be blatantly ignored and find the situation already solved by that girl, that monster. She stomped her foot in frustration once Eric had left the roof. She turned to open the door leading back downstair, and it wouldn’t budge. It must have locked automatically behind Eric. She jiggled it a few times hoping it was just stuck, but it didn’t move. All the vampires would be dead by now, what with the sun high in the sky. So her usually source of rescue was out of the picture. She considered a minute. Her brother might be able to come and get her. She quickly dialed him, thankful that she’d remembered her mobile.   
“Sookie?” Jason groaned over the phone. “What did you do now?”

 

Sophia was avoiding Godric, not willing to look for him wherever he had made his hidey hole. She suspected the kitchen, it made sense logically. So she made a circuit around the kitchens and distracted herself by helping Isabel shift through the paperwork that Godric had left behind in his office and help her with her new responsibilities that had been thrust upon her. Godric hadn’t even asked her. Isabel had just wanted to mope and get over her failed vampire-human relationship with chocolate via human blood. The distraction couldn’t last and eventually Isabel sent her away to sleep supposedly.   
Instead she went for a run, trying to get to the point of exhaustion that her mind would go blank. Unfortunately she underestimated just how much the ancient blood would affect her endurance and she went much farther than she expected, she ran outside of the established sphere of protection without even realizing. The wolves that surrounded her were an unwelcome surprise. 

 

She snarled at them as they circled her their eyes flaring green and hungry. These were not natural wolves, these were born men and had a man’s intelligence. They didn’t leap as a single unit like she expected they used a distraction tactic of one leaping towards her from one direction and several others from her opposite until she was brought down. She had fought them off for a couple seconds using her newfound strength and her fangs, but there were too many and she was brought down by sheer numbers. When she was on the ground the wolves now turned men sought to encase her in silver, obviously not knowing her true identity and merely being used as brute thugs, they were angered and knocked her out instead. Her last thoughts as she felt the blackness descend upon her was to question is this what Godric had meant when he was trying to protect her in a conversation so long ago that he had most likely forgot. She reached for him but their bond had dimmed enough that she was too far off that she wasn’t sure he heard. “I’m sorry.”


	9. Chapter 9

In the cold recesses of Hotel Camilla’s freezer Godric had gone into downtime, hidden behind a frozen pork hind. He felt that was enough security in the depths of the hotel sanctuary. He was afraid to reach for his lioness, afraid she would be so angry that she might reject the bond, so he didn’t let her, didn’t communicate with her He regretted his instinctual isolation as he felt her pull farther away, felt her seek to lose herself in exhaustion. 

 

He was forced fully awake when he felt her reach for him heard her apology tinged with a farewell but not a willing one. Someone had taken her, attacked her. Sophia was in trouble and he realised suddenly that he didn’t know where she was, couldn’t find her over the bond. Not as if she was blocking him, that had a different kind of pain. More like she was being blocked. A metaphysical wall that zapped him when he put his force of will into it. Damn witches!  
He dragged Eric from his death rest in a panic, hoping his childe knew where she might be. They were stuck here until the sun went down just enough that it wouldn’t burn him to a crisp to step outside. Meanwhile the trail would grow cold. He hoped that she would have left enough emotional presence to give him some evidence of her direction. But Eric had the better nose for such things, was the better tracker. Godric was the one who gave out death, Eric tracked the prey. This was how it had been in the best, and this was how it would be now. He had to find her, let her know he hadn’t meant it, he would have done it for her. And that he loved her. His unbeating heart stuttered and then resumed at the internal thought. Could he say it? Could he tell her? Would she reject him? He was a monster after all, death incarnate, and he had done terrible things, in fact she had watched him do terrible things. There was no hiding the fact from her even if he had been willing to.   
Eric arrived kneeling before Godric as he exited the freezer. Eric smirked at the location his maker had chosen to hide in, but his expression quickly turned serious when he couldn’t locate Sophia within their established protection sphere and he felt the absolute terror in Godric. Something was wrong. “Master?” he whispered questioningly.  
“She has been attacked. She is gone” Godric stated distractedly, still mentally searching/ When his eyes turned to Eric they were the lost eyes of the young boy he appeared to be. “What do I do?” he asked forlornly. At that moment he was not the three thousand year old ex-sheriff, right now he was merely a man, not merely a young boy who couldn’t find someone he had lost. He didn’t fear that she had rejected him, at least not yet. He feared that she had been taken from him, and that she had gone somewhere he could not follow. She was still alive as he didn’t feel part of his heart torn from his chest, but he couldn’t determine her presence or her location. He couldn’t determine where she was, at least not while the sun still shone in the sky. He couldn’t trust one of his day people to do the searching, wasn’t willing to trust her to them. This was too important to him, only his bloodline could do it. And his bloodline was small and all vampiric; only him, Eric and his grand-progeny, Pam. He didn’t regret it, the blood is sacred. But he wished humans would be innately trusted, then they could be useful. The situation with Hugo had underlined the fact that even when put in such a close position to the other vampires, they were almost predisposed towards backstabbing.   
Eric was at a lost on what to answer, so he opted for the obvious, “We will find her Godric.” He quickly made calls to the few witches on his payroll. He didn’t like using them but must needs.  
They couldn’t find her no matter how many spells that they used to the point of draining themselves at his command. He would have to wait for the sun to go down. Godric was running himself ragged in worry, pacing in tighter and tighter circles. His eyes had darkened to the point of being black and his muscles bulged in effort to resist punching something, which was a rather human response, and if he wasn’t so worried himself he would notice the step back to an impulse that was decidedly not vampiric. Regardless Godric was a truly fearsome sight.   
Everything he knew about human emotions, all the senses of human thought, all the feelings of human emotion were running through him at light speed. He recognised that at that moment, at the prospect of losing his lionheart, he wasn’t thinking like a vampire, wasn’t feeling like one. And it was alright, because at that moment, he was a predator.   
When the sun reached the horizon he could barely be stopped from breaking the door down and charging out. He growled when Eric forced him to wait until the last rays had left the sky. They both quickly sped out of the hotel entrance, senses on high alert as they focused on the faint remains of her train like human bloodhounds. 

 

At the same time Sookie was making her way down Hummingway Drive towards her house after having taken a flight from Dallas that day. Her brother had caught a ride with his latest floozy back to his apartment. She was still somewhat peeved at the talking to she had gotten from Jason once he’d let her down from the roof of the hotel. He obviously didn’t understand the importance of her getting a debt from Eric. He didn’t understand her dislike of Sophia, he hadn’t seen how she was such a monster. She shook her head at the frustration, but smiled slightly at the sight of the civil war remnant sitting on her front steps waiting for her. At least she could count on one male specimen to hang on her every word, even if his southern charm was beginning to grate on her nerves. When she’d first met him she’d loved that about him, now she was feeling a bit cloistered by his chauvinism and over protectiveness.   
“Bill” she greeted as she got out of her car and approached him, expecting a hug. He greeted her, asked her about her flight as he carried her luggage inside, all to be expected. But he had an air of tension about him that made him appear even more frigid than usual.  
“Sookie” he interrupted her mindless chatter, “We need to talk. Something strange is going on around here. I noticed when I got back in town last night. A woman kept coming by with the strangest eyes and a mad look trying to get inside your house. And your tempestuous friend came by with black eyes, not vampire eyes but her pupils were blown and she really wasn’t happy to see me. She kept screaming about how their god would come and that they needed the sacrifice. Is this some strange local ritual that I have missed out on in the time that I’ve been ‘dead’?”  
“What? No!” she cried out in shock. “Bill, how could you think that?” she demanded.  
“I’m not all that familiar with Bon Temps” he drawled. “Perhaps Eric would know better” he insinuated.  
She looked at him confusedly, was he actually suggesting they seek out Eric? Was this a dream?   
“He is the sheriff after all” he sneered.   
Bill was plotting something. He knew the issue must be a maenaed and was extremely dangerous, especially what with the draw of Sookie’s fae abilities. He wasn’t really concerned about Sookie per se, he was just looking for a reason to increase his bond over her with even more love. He was also conflicted, and slightly constipated. He wanted her for the queen, who would no doubt reward him greatly; but he also wanted her for himself, wanted to own her delicious blood so that no one else could have her. He was hoping he could get the maenaed creature to attack her and then “save” her while still maintaining his innocence, thus the proposed trip to Eric.   
That was why he didn’t panic when they were rammed by something on the way to the bar. He had known that her scent would drive the creature crazy and cause his seeming attack. In reality the creature was seeking to attain her, but it was to sunk into its bestial nature that it couldn’t discern the difference. The car, that Sookie still refused to take to shop, couldn’t handle the pressure being put upon it and buckled under the pressure. Sookie was screaming shrilly but Bill remained calm, letting himself be injured slightly but knowing he would heal quickly. He took stock of her injuries once Sookie had finally passed out. She had cuts from the shattered glass all over her forearms when she threw them up to cover her face, a more serious injury when the door had sliced through her leg, and various bruises when she slammed into him. Not as much as he would like, but still workable. The creature had run off, obviously appalled at its work to the extent that it could feel appalled. He picked Sookie up into his arms and ran off to make his performance to the sheriff. It wouldn’t do if she died before all his hard work could be completed. 

 

But Eric wasn’t there.


	10. Chapter 10

Eric and Godric had quickly reached the spot where her scent ended and circled around it several times to hopefully get a feel for where it might have continued. They could smell wolves, their pungent stench covered the area. Still, they should have been able to discover Sophia’s unique scent under it all. Godric should have been able to track her using the blood bond.   
“They must have used witches. Jag kan känna magin [I can feel the magic]” Eric cursed.   
“Ja jag håller med [Yes, I agree]” Godric murmured, still distracted by the presence of her blood on the ground. He couldn’t force it to lead anywhere via the bond, but he was disturbed by its presence as well as the fact that it hadn’t been collected to use against them in later spells. Her assaulters had obviously only been concerned with kidnapping her. But why?

 

They both didn’t notice that they slipped into Swedish in times of stress. It was a subconscious defense mechanism, as there were very few who understood the language, at least in the states. Even if they weren’t really saying anything that needed security at the time, it was the principle of the matter.   
They needed to find a witch of their own, either that hope against hope that they were lucky and something happened to the witch that cast the blocking spell. Witches usually hated other supernatural species, except for the fey. It was strange they appeared to be allied with the wolves this time.   
This had been a long game for someone, or at least someone was being very fortunate. The last witch loyal to them had died in an unnecessary skuffle recently so they were relying on luck. He hated relying on luck. 

 

She woke and was instantly alert. She had often found herself in strange situations, Godric was a prankster at heart, and if she twitched she usually found herself falling off something rather high, not enough to injure herself, just startle her. That or soak her. So she had trained to be awake as soon as she awoke, but not to move or open her eyes. So she continued to fake being asleep. It never worked on Godric what with his fine senses hearing the shift in her heartbeat, but at least she could pretend it did. After a few minutes of stretching out her senses to “look” at where she was, she opened her eyes. She was not anywhere she recognized.   
The room was grand, she noticed. It was dimly lit by old fashioned electric lamps, and the bed she was laying on was covered by a smooth silk blood red coverlet. There was a small table next to the bed with an alarm sitting on it, it stood out against the vintage backdrop that the room was striving for. The carpet was luscious, sinking slightly beneath her feet. The walls were patterned in an old fashioned way, and the door was mahogany. Sturdy, but unlocked. She listed all these things in her head trying to center herself. The owners of the house she was in, or rather the jail cell she was placed, obviously wanted her to feel comfortable. This had all her senses on high alert. Suspicion ran through her at the discrepancy between the violent attack and this decadence. They seemed to want her off balance, but her heart was that of a feline. She always landed on her feet. 

Bill shrugged off Eric’s absence though it slightly concerned him just where he was and what he was doing, he didn’t think that Eric could influence his obtaining Sookie without being present. He didn’t think Pam would do anything without Eric’s command, after all she really didn’t like Eric’s attraction to Sookie, she felt that he was better than a blonde idiotic human. This just made it easier to “heal” Sookie with his blood. Since the maenaed hadn’t managed to poison her with its touch, he easily healed her by pretty much drowning her in his blood, ensuring that she would be drawn to him and be inclined to follow his will. Blood sharing or gifting was all about intent. If you were trying to protect someone and gave blood that kind of dominance wouldn’t appear.   
“Bill” Sookie woke and sighed as her eyes fluttered. Bill smiled and his expression was one of t the cat who got the canary. Really that should have alarmed Sookie more but she was too far gone at that point. 

 

Eric and Godric had returned to the hotel to strategize after circling the spot where Sophia had disappeared a few more times just in case. Godric was on the phone desperately making calls to various contacts calling in various debts to search for a capable witch. It seemed the magical community was all stonewalling the vampires, even when threatened. Because at this point he was willing to rain hell on anybody not of his bloodline.   
Eric was calling in Alcide with the possibility that perhaps a werewolf nose was more in tune to werewolf scents. He thought that instead of trying to find Sophia’s trail as that had proven to have obstacles, they should look for her captors. This should have been obvious to Godric as he was lauded as the master tactician, but Godric was too focused on his lionheart to the point that he really couldn’t be counted on to think clearly. Finally he made contact and the werewolf agreed to head out the next day. Now for the waiting. 

 

Sophia slowly crept out of the room she had woken in. She reached the top of a grand staircase and leaned unobtrusively over the balcony. She heard the tail end of a conversation before it suddenly cut off.  
“What do you mean bringing in some strange woman and placing her in that room/” an accented voice demanded, not quite shouting but still obviously angered.  
“Darling, couldn’t you tell what she is?” a rough masculine voice consoled.   
“Δεν πειράζει! Έχω βαρεθεί τις κατακτήσεις σας” [It doesn’t matter! I have had enough of your conquests].  
“Ντάρλινγκ Λεοντόκαρδος, που είναι για σας. Ρίξτε μια προσεκτική ματιά στις αύρα της, ξέρω ότι μπορείς [Darling lionheart, she is for you. Take a close look at her aura, I know you can]. He turned and looked up directly into her eyes.   
“Oh. That makes sense now.” the accented voice commented.  
She didn’t understand anything of what they had said once they turned out of English, she recognized it as Greek though. Greek was one of the languages Godric had refused to teach her, telling her it was too painful. He’d told her a little of his history and she wouldn’t push him to remember such a period. He had told her she most likely wouldn’t need it anyways as there were very few who still spoke it. Note the very few.


	11. Chapter 11

When the larger more muscular male sees his companion’s attention diverted he quickly looks up and sees her. “Ah, mia stella! You’re awake” he pronounces, making an overly exaggerated bow “Russell Edgington, King of Missouri” he introduces himself and gestures towards the dark haired person at his side, “and my lovely consort, Talbot.” The man she learned was Talbot was obviously more of the gentleman as he rushed up the stairs at vampire speed and gently took her hand, brushing his lips without any sign of his fangs, over the top of it.  
“Enchante” he murmured. And now the third language she had heard, French with a very mediterranean accent. He was average height, slightly shorter than his compatriot, olive skinned with midnight hair and sparkling brown eyes. If she didn’t already have commitments, she would have found him decidedly handsome, but she had to remind herself she knew nothing about his behaviour or personality. She curtsied to him, putting to use the etiquette lessons that Godric forced on her, stating that at some point it might keep her alive. He told her to just pretend that she was dressed in silks and that she was in a ballroom, it seem to have worked, although at the time she had scowled and asked him if he knew just how hard it was to wash silk. He had laughed but continued his lesson. She scowled remembering her failure to distract him.  
“Rest my dear, dinner will be in an hour. Not to worry, there is actual food. The blood is just for us” Russell stated with humor in his tone, extending his hand and leading his consort out of the room.   
Sophia returned to the room and began to poke around searching for some means to escape now that she knew escape through the front door while perhaps the easiest option it was now impossible as it was obviously guarded. She was all for hiding in plain sight but only when it was simple. Her secondary option was through the window which would hopefully lead outside and into daylight after a few hours, the wolves would have been easily handled once she had gained a few miles. But it was not to be as she pushed the heavy curtains open to find the only opening. And it was barred, iron poles sunk deep in cement and impossible for her to pull out. Godric would have been able to easily, but Godric was not here, that was the problem. She pouted, this was not her night. 

 

As she sat in the fine room that was now obviously a cell what with the hidden barred window, she began to sing softly. The song was meant to be a lullaby as she faintly remembered her mother humming a similar tune long ago. Now it was used as a sad song, sentimental and longing while striving for confidence.   
“Sunshine on my shoulder makes me happy  
Sunshine in my eyes will make me cry.”  
It was a song that a vampire would never sing, it was a song she sung to her vampire king.  
“If I had a day, that I could give to you  
I’d give to you, a day, just like today.”  
She didn’t mean it literally, it wasn’t a threat, the intention was in the feeling of the supposed gift.   
“Sunshine almost always….” she trailed off as her eyes gradually drifted closed. 

 

The witch was getting anxious. She had cast powerful blood wards, magic that wasn’t familiar to her and had drained most of her magic to perform, she was gradually restoring it but still felt a bit vulnerable without her full capacity. That and she knew her ward, like most magic, would disappear if she died, finally. She briefly considered if it would be for the best if she cut off the spell. She had watched as they brought in that poor confused girl, obviously trapped by vampire blood and not deserving to be transferred to yet another vampire. She had obviously been knocked around a bit by those foul creatures, the werewolves. She was just working herself into riotous fury, but then she remembered just who that vampire was, the supposed king of Minnesota who would be ferocious if he was denied. Not only her life but that of the remainders of her coven as well as her immediate family would be in danger, he had told her as much with a dangerous smirk on his face, fangs and all. It was a tone that was viciously pleasant and sent shivers down her back, not the good kind of shivers, but the ones of abject fear like that of the doe caught in the headlights. She might have bitten off more than she could chew, but she had been trying to heighten the standing of her coven by showing off a bit to the king. She chewed her lip, twisting the hem of her skirt in her hands, and now her defiant coven leader had disappeared leaving her to make decisions by herself. And she didn’t know what to do.  
What she didn’t notice was that her weakening resolve and questioning was causing her spell to falter and the theoretical ward to thin faintly. 

 

On the border between area five and that of the king of Minnesota’s territory, Godric and Eric were still searching. Always searching. They had reined their tempers in; they were still raging but less frenetically and now more with a purpose, a dangerous intent.   
Godric stilled suddenly, holding his hand out to tell Eric to stay quiet, he cocked his ear. Was that singing? He thought he heard her voice, but it was not clear and at this point he wasn’t sure if it was wishful thinking. It was a voice and it was coming from the northwest, towards the king’s mansion.   
He thought it might even be the song she used to sing to him, back when they had first found the lionheart bond.   
“If I had a tale that I could tell to you  
I'd tell a tale, sure to make you smile.”   
He smiled softly at the memory.

 

They had been camped out in a cave in he had found to protect them from the rain. This was after he had turned Eric and several years after they had bonded. Her face was flushed from the fire and shadows danced across the walls. Behind her. She was wrapped in a wool blanket he had stolen from a nearby household. It was just hanging from a closeline, begging to be stolen, she had not been happy about that and had scolded him lightly for drawing attention to their presence. But she was sitting wrapped in it snugly with Eric’s head in her lap, gently stroking his hair. He wasn’t sleeping, but his eyes were closed in pleasure at the feeling of comfort that reminded him of his own mother no doubt. Back then Eric had been much more comfortable relaxing his guard, he still did to a certain extent, but he had been very young both in vampire years as well in human maturity levels. Sure he could kill things when he had been human, but that didn’t mean he had grown up fully. He had lost his actual mother very recently too, and Godric was a little more willing to humor him then. Now if he pulled the same shit, it wasn’t on. She had been humming and softly singing the same lullaby that if any other vampire had heard, they would look slanty eyed at, but he felt the content and comfort at it, and let her sing. He had just come into the cave after being out hunting for dinner. He was soaked his shaggy hair full of water, and he shook it to dry, spattering her and Eric with droplets, while looking up through his bangs and grm inning mischievously. She had scowled up at him but her expression had had no heat. Those had been good times, where had it gone wrong? Where did he lose himself? 

 

He was old and he had an excuse standing for getting lost in the past, after all the future had to put effort into interesting him. Though he was feeling less and less like he could ever leave her regardless of her level of safety with his absence, even now that permanently leaving this existence was not a possibility. He couldn’t even consider leaving her and Eric to themselves.  
The voice was getting stronger to the point that even Eric could hear. He looked over questioningly at the feeling of nostalgia he was getting from his maker. The memory was obviously not as clear for him.   
They had a direction if not a final destination, but eventually they would find her, there was no doubt. 

 

Russell and Talbot were arguing.   
“Who is she?” Talbot demanded.  
“Does it matter?”  
“Why is she here?” Talbot was pissed, his lover was avoiding the issues and he was starting to suspect the answer to his questions were not good. He normally wouldn’t mind the bad boy streak, unless of course he wanted Talbot to do something that Talbot wouldn’t like.   
“She’s a lioness?” Russell finally broke.  
“Who’s lionheart? Talbot was still suspicious.   
“Godric’s?” Russell admitted. His answer was more of a question as he saw Talbot’s furious look.   
“What?!” Talbot roared.  
The sudden loud noise woke Sophia with a start.   
“Why would you do that? We will have Death at our door any minute now!”  
Their voices faded into a dull morning as if they had consciously lessened their volume, obviously just now being concerned with just who was hearing them. She smirked to herself. Godric would come for her, she had no doubt. Even if they were having an argument or disagreement at the time. And then death would reign upon her kidnappers. She wonders why they went to such lengths to appropriate her. Surely they knew that Godric wouldn’t negotiate and that he would search for her as a king ought to for his lionheart. The bond went both ways after all. They didn’t think that they could manipulate him?   
She hoped Godric understood that in the grand scheme of things se wasn’t important, and that he shouldn’t bend to an ultimatum. She was afraid that he might.

 

Godric wasn’t feeling very amenable in the fact of the situation. The hints of song had long since faded and, while they were pointed in a general direction that was all it was a general direction. No point of contact. And this irritated him even further in addition to all the other factors that was irritating. He was quickly losing his oft lauded control. That is if he hadn’t lost it already. His mind was in a whirl, he needed her. Sometimes it almost felt like she was beside him, but it was merely a waking dream. It faded as soon as he opened his eyes.

 

Dawn was approaching and she knew all vampires would die for the day. She thought she could possibly escape during the sunlight hours, and hope Godric was nearby, even if he had told her that Russell was his elder by two thousand years. He and Eric were tough and they had more of a reason to fight she hoped. But that idea was quickly shot as she heard the door lock. That wouldn’t normally have stopped her but the scent of werewolf that appeared in front of the door did. She huffed in aggravation, crossing her arms in a pout. The vampires would have been easier. 

 

The vampire couple downstairs at a much quieter level.  
“We are both his elders, why do you think this is an issue?” Russell asked Talbot.  
He slung his arm over Talbot’s shoulder and leaned in to whisper in his ear, unnecessarily. “My prínkipas ton liontarión [prince of lions], why do you worry.  
Talbot had the years but not the experience in the world or in fighting to survive. He had always been protected by Russell and shut inside by him so that any knowledge he might have had on how to survive in the outside world was now lost. He was not at all as confident as Russell appeared to be. He shrugged Russell’s arm off, still tense.   
Russell pouted at him.   
“For our collection of course.  
We’ve never had a lioness, and she’d so nicely contrast with the other artifacts.”   
“You mean your collection” Talbot frowned. He wondered briefly if he was part of Russell’s much talked about collection, but quickly shook the idea off, he was the lionheart, and his king could never do that to him, even though he was kept here in a similar manner.


	12. Chapter 12

“Ours” Russell assured him. 

 

Back in Bon Temps the little town was really living up to its name. The people were going wild, and they had still yet to find a solution to the madness. Bill was trying to avoid the issue and had taken Sookie out to a restaurant on the outskirts of town for his dirty deeds. He proposed.   
Of course Sookie said yes, She had little choice but to say yes, not that she realised this.   
He let her go to the powder room to collect herself after the influx of emotions. In reality he sent her to it so he could make an escape across state lines. Now that she had committed herself to him outside of the blood, his work here was done and he could leave. Although he would need to come back for the ceremony he supposed. They didn’t do it by proxy any more.   
Coming back from the powder room she at first didn’t notice Bill’s absence, chalking it up to her forgetting the correct table. When she finally convinced herself that yes this was the right table she was momentarily a bit irked that he chose this moment, that should have been about the two of them, to do something else. She didn’t really know what else he could be doing. The feeling passed quickly subsumed in the blood Bill had given were, almost drowning in it. After an hour of waiting for him, she was forced to realise that he was gone. She wanted to blame Eric, but Bill had told her he was out of town. She still wanted to blame him but she knew there would have been more of a commotion in the restaurant if a six foot viking vampire had entered. And Eric couldn’t act for shit. Look how well he had done in the fellowship of the sun after all.  
She decided to call him anyways, taking a brief moment to wonder how he got his number into her contacts without her realising.  
The phone rung for a disturbing amount of minutes, which was strange as she almost expected him to be the kind of person to pick up immediately, especially for her.   
He finally picked up towards the last ring.   
“What?” Eric barked.   
“Bill is missing” she told him not wasting time to scold him on his complete lack of phone etiquette.   
“And what do you expect me to do about it? I’m a bit busy at the moment.” She heard growling in the background.   
“Doing what?” she insulted.   
He paused a moment to let her sink into the fact that she had just implied that what he was doing at the moment was obviously unimportant in the face of her personal drama. But it didn’t seem to faze her.  
“Sookie, you’ve told me many times that what Bill is doing, particularly in regards to you, is absolutely none of my business. Now I am returning the favor, what I am doing at the moment is none of your fucking business!” He started with the condescending tone of false patience but couldn’t hold it and ended up yelling at her and hung up.  
On Eric’s end he turned to Godric after crushing his cell, “Bloody fairies.”

 

Sophia was still pondering her escape though it was seeming more and more futile as she had not been let out except for meals with the two vampires during which she had pretend to be pleasant and unworried, which was wearing her down each time. She had yet to have anything seriously unpleasant done to her except imprisonment, but the threat was there. She wondered if this was part of the reason Godric had been so unwilling to have vengeance on the church. While the “cage” wasn’t harmful just boring and annoying, there was nothing physical about it. Thus the temptation to merely humor them like misbehaving children. Though she knew they were not.   
She did not want to just rely on Godric for escape but she was coming to realise she was going to have to. 

 

Finally the witch broke and made a run for it. She didn’t make it past the city’s boundaries and her coven didn’t last an hour after her flight was determined. The wolves that chased her were a bit too energetic in their chase, and when her mutilated corpse made it back to Russell he was furious and slightly worried. She had been the only one powerful enough to cast the ward on a lionheart and now that she was gone, he was going to have to deal with the consequences. He had not been expecting to have to deal with an angry king so soon. And Godric now had a definite destination. 

 

Godric smiled. It wasn’t a nice smile, it was terrifying in its promise of retribution. He felt her, his lioness, his heart. And he actually sped up.  
Eric jerked in surprise. How was that even possible? His maker had just broken into light speed. Eric forced himself to move faster, but he still arrived at Russell’s mansion several minutes after Godric. It wasn’t showing, but Godric was almost bouncing in impatience. He reached out and felt her to, glorying in the sensation of once more being wrapped in maternal sensation. He sent out comfort to her and was delighted to feel her response. She was safe, still somewhat cautious but safe and unharmed. 

 

They quickly arrived at the front entrance to Russell’s mansion and Godric struggled to conceal his internal turmoil, knowing that they had to be careful and put up facades of polite disregard in the face of vampire politics which placed Russell as their superior, that and the fact that he was at least two thousand years older than Godric. Him being around five thousand to Godric’s three thousand, not that he knew that. He believed Godric to be merely two thousand and having just received his lionheart. Thinking that the bond must subsequently be more limited. But Godric had not been royalty when he was turned merely pseudo royalty as chief of his tribe of warriors, and thus had not received the level of pampering that Russell who had been a Roman lord, and Talbot as well as a prince of Greece. Godric was more used to the facts of the real world as the two had gone directly from human royalty to vampire royalty, there not being a whole lot of options in the ancient days, everyone else had died too quickly. True they had brute strength, but were more limited when it came to tactics. Godric had a few tricks up his tattooed sleeves. Talbot was Russell’s weakest link, he was never shown fighting and, since he stayed in the mansion most of the time, likely never kept up any fighting skills he once had, despite his advanced age and strength.


	13. Chapter 13

“Godric what a pleasant surprise, it’s been too long” Russell exclaimed as he walked into the entryway where he and Eric were standing.   
“Your majesty. I think you have something of mine.” Godric’s facade was only going to extend so far. He could smell Sophia. She was unharmed, but not standing in his arms, and the need became even more extreme at her scent. 

 

Talbot’s eyes brightened at the sight of Eric. It was the kind of avaricious gaze one showered on a possession. He was a fine specimen of a vampire and although younger than Talbot, Talbot was willing to play the cougar if it was with Eric.  
Have we met?   
“Eric Northman, sheriff, Louisiana Area 5.”  
“Sherriff” he purred.  
Internally Eric rolled his eyes, these pretty boys never changed. Externally Eric smiled and played the jock playboy. Russell drew Godric aside to try and persuade him not to run rampage on him and not to completely disregard the mandates of vampire politics and the Authourity. Even though technically he already had by stealing what Godric had claimed, regardless of the lionheart issue. Talbot beckoned Eric to follow, and with Godric’s nod he did. He still kept an ear out for what was going on with Godric and another ear for any shift in Sophia’s situation. That was part of Eric’s vampire power that Godric had really not expected, the ability to multitask to an extreme extent. There had been no hint of that in his human years. 

 

They had decided to use the excuse Sookie had provided, Compton. Although it was unlikely he was around here, not that he cared where he was exactly but he was a good scapegoat.

 

“I humbly request permission to hunt your territory for the vampire missing from my area.” Eric was really pushing the subservience, and he found it disgusting. Did people actually say this kind of thing?  
“I appreciate your courtesy, Eric. It's very old-world. Nobody has manners anymore. It was all so beautiful once.” Apparently they did. “Your fugitive, what's his name again? Bill Compton.”   
“I'm responsible for him, and, uh, I'm ashamed to admit it, but he's wanted for selling vampire blood” Eric said appearing somewhat shamefaced.  
“Oh, no, no. That's heinous” Talbot wailed dramatically. Are you sure? Let's ask him.”  
“Voilà. He's not missing, and he's way too square to deal V” Talbot made an overly extravagant motion with his hands towards the stairwell.   
“You tried to pin that on me? We all know it's your queen behind this, Northman. And that you did the selling for her.” Apparently Compton had been sequestered in one of the other darkened guestrooms down the hall. That was quite a coincidence. Sookie should really know what her paramour was up to, Eric pondered to himself.   
“You see, Mr. Compton has accepted a position in my court and therefore keeps nothing from me” Talbot went on to explain.   
“Oh You're here of your own accord.” Eric said this somewhat accusingly. Sookie might be annoying and he wanted her off his case, but Bill’s abandonment and manipulation of her, that and added on to the fact that he was trying to appropriate her. He could understand wanting her as an asset, but his treatment of a lady was simply not on. These were evident of the morals that Sophia had ingrained in him. Eric was secretly extremely chivalrous, even if he was amidst his apparent bacchanalia. He hid it well.  
“Your Majesty I confess. I sold the blood at my queen's command and accused Bill to protect her.” Eric turned to address Russell as he came back to stand with his consort, Godric remaining in the doorway still obviously unhappy.  
Russell disregarded this with a wave of his hand and focused on Bill. “My dear you must be simply starving. There’s a blood bank nearby if you’d like, bring something nice back hmmm?” Bill quickly stalked out of the door to get dinner, throwing a dark look at Eric but saying nothing. Eric smirked at him, and the mainstream died a final death, he thought to himself. He turned his attention when Talbot stroked his arm and comfortingly said,  
“That’s very sad, but noble, my dear. Come I have something that will cheer you up.” Talbot turned and led Eric to a side room where at the center in pride of place was a glass case that as he got closer he saw a crown. “It’s glorious isn’t it? Russell handed it over as a betrothal gift. It’s old French or Gallic, I think.” Talbot murmured, distracted by the crown in his hand.  
“It’s viking.” Talbot had turned to look at the crown and put his back to Eric, which was always a mistake no matter how peaceful he was being at the moment. But before Eric could do anything, ‘cause you just know he was up to something, a loud feminine scream and then a sharp canine yip was heard. 

 

Sophia was not having a good day, or night for that matter. She was stuck in a room who Talbot had reminded her was classic nineteenth century and worth more than her first born son. So she was afraid to touch anything. Then there were her werewolf guards who smelled and didn’t bother to lower the volume of their insults and comments on how fine she looked, which was not send in a complementary way but more as in they wanted to do her. She was familiar with the concept, god knows she was what with living with vampires who were hypersexual, especially Eric, but she had not personally experienced it and hoped her first would be with someone meaningful. Secretly she wanted that someone to be Godric not that she was going to tell him….

 

The wolves outside were arguing over her. Each claiming they’d show her who did it best, but were stymied by the vampires order not to harm her. Until one burly young wolf rose up stating that showing her what’s what wouldn’t harm her per se, As they, the vampires, did it all the time. The older more mature wolves shook their heads and left the younger ones to do as they will, moving down the hall to a side room out of earshot. Plausible deniability and all that. They younges wimpy wolf who was more of a suck up stayed around and was told to guard the door and be look out.   
“Bitch I’m gonna teach you what it feels like to be with a real man” He slurred out the words and stumbled slightly, drunk on vampire blood. She was absolutely disgusted but also a bit alarmed as he had the benefit of brute strength compared to her, and her king was a bit tied up with pansying to the actual king. Maybe she could scare him off and not have to alarm Godric when he was trying not to get entangled in Russell’s manipulations. She snarled deeply and let her fangs show. He merely snarled back at a slightly higher pitch, his wolf hadn’t broken through puberty even if his human aspect had. It was when he started to shift in response to her refusal and his instinctual push to subjugate the female that she began to panic. She was still blocking from Godric and Eric as she felt what they were doing was more important than her virginity, but she still backed up when faced with a raging werewolf. She wasn’t going to try to reason with him, she knew he wouldn’t listen to her, too lost in his instincts to hear anything else except the rut. She’d seen this before, though hadn’t faced it. It was the rut that happened to all young wolves, usually it was between wolves but extenuating circumstances…  
It was when he lunged for her, now almost completely lupine that she screamed and dodged still snarling deeply. This, wasn’t going to work. He quickly swiveled and she yelped slightly as his hand, almost claws, swiped at her side. Not enough to infect her but enough to piss her off. Her form began to vibrate and suddenly there was a large lioness in front of the now fully turned wolf. She was at least twice as big as the canine, and her fangs which were prominent were the length of the wolf’s head. The boy suddenly came to his senses and whimpered, his flight instincts just now kicking in as fighting wasn’t even a possibility. She snapped at him and he yipped loudly, making a break for it, following the smaller wolf that had fled at the first sight of the lioness.  
As the wolves fled out the front door with their tails between their legs the lioness prowled down the stairs like the huntress she was, but at the sight of Godric who was now at the foot of the stairs she purred, going up to him and rubbing her head against him.   
Godric reached down to rub behind her ears in comfort at her presence. He was always amazed by her still starstruck in awe. She was beautiful, all powerful muscles and golden fur. He found her glorious as a humanoid, but equally so in her lion form. Her form didn’t alarm him as it just felt like a notch shifting into place in his heart. It felt right. 

 

He still remembered the first time he had seen her. Back then it had alarmed him before its sense of rightness could be recognised. This was when Eric was still in his first hundred years and a few months after they had received an explanation from the wise woman. The now dead wise woman as he had not been happy with how she had frightened his lionheart, but still her information was good. He had still thought she was glorious even back then, dangerous, but glorious, the beautiful death. Death should be beautiful.  
He had been caught in a bear trap, which back then was pretty basic, just a cage that was sprung by one’s foot catching against a hidden rope. This area collected the wild bears for baiting, and he really should have been able to avoid it. He had been distracted, she and Eric had been play-fighting and he had been calling out suggestions as they walked through the forest. Dawn was not far off and they had just been about to find their rest in a nearby cave. Eric’s eyes were already beginning to droop and he was slowing down, he was forcing himself to stay active, wanting to impress the woman he was already beginning to see as a mother; but Godric still had a good two hours in him. That was why the sudden dropping of the cage was so surprising.   
Godric and Eric were beginning to dig out the bottom of the cage as it was dirt. Obviously not well thought out. Or not intended for non-animals. His being caught was kind of embarrassing but he would soon get out without problem. Or at least he would have ip a group of wild men toting spears hadn’t run up.   
Eric was panicking. He was still young and tired. He thought there were too many with pointy sticks, and at the same time he wanted to keep digging both to get Godric out for him to handle the men, but also to get out of the sun that was fast approaching. But on the other hadn he was worried about Sophia having never seen her fight. Godric had told him about the lionheart bond wha with him being part of the bloodline and almost his mother figure. He was worried since she just looked like a human. Godric had pressed upon him not to look down on her as she had her own strength, but he wondered if Godric wasn’t a bit biased. That was why when she erupted into a lioness and she began mauling their attackers, he was a bit startled. Godric had expected something of the sort though not to this extent. And he stilled in admiration. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.


	14. Chapter 14

She was a sight, covered in blood almost to the point of appearing to bathe in it, fangs shining and pupils dilated in pure gold. They had been more prone to chaotic violence back then, where bloodbaths were the norm. That is not to say they didn’t still happen, just that they were more commonly accepted and one didn’t have to clean up after them.

 

Russell merely raised a brow at her, not surprised in the least. Talbot on the other hand, though he didn’t appear, he sighed, “wolf pheromones in the tapestries again!” He continued muttering to himself but all that was heard afterwards was something about burying even more wolves underneath the gazebo. “It’s going to be a mausoleum!” He finally shouted in dramatic exasperation.   
Eric turned back to Talbot, considering that the excitement in the hall was pretty much done.  
“It was my fathers” he continued on as if their conversation had not been interrupted. His voice remained eerily calm. And hid the breaking noise of one of the wooden chairs. Foolish vampires to have wooden objects in your nest. The sound of the makeshift stake squelching in through Talbot’s back and into his heart was slightly more audible, but Talbot’s final scream when the stake went through was heard by everyone in the house, right before he burst into a bloody mess.   
Eric whispered in his ear as the stake went in, but his message was intended for Russell. “As you murdered my entire family, so I will destroy yours.”

 

Russell roared at this, clutching at where his heart would have been and stumbling forwards with an insane desparate look in his eyes. Before he could collect himself and do something Godric had slammed him into the ground, crushing his throat and ribcage. Normally this wouldn’t have been possible and would have meant a tussle that would have ended in Godric’s destruction, but Russell was weakened by the culmination of several factors. The loss of his lionheart with the death of Talbot was the main thing, but also shock and the fact that he hadn’t eaten for several nights, note the mission of Bill, he hadn’t felt he needed it yet after all. That in relation to the fact that Eric had forced his maker to fill himself on blood before entering the mansion as a precaution. And finally the surprise that a mere two thousand, or was it three thousand year old would have the gall to attack him. Before he realised it his fangs had been ripped out by Godric’s mere hands, and he was also missing his arms. This would have been healable eventually but he suspected when his mind cleared through the pain, that he wouldn’t have the time.  
“Your father deserved it, you know” he snarled up at Eric, who had rushed to Godric’s side to support him if he needed aid. He didn’t  
“Just as you deserve this” Eric snarled back in a fit of rage. Godric was sitting back and letting the two have their dialogue, still maintaining his pressure on Russell’s neck and chest, worried that the king, now ex-king he supposed, had a final trick in his repertoire.   
“All I wanted was a couple of goats for my wolves” Russell whined, while struggling slightly in an effort to shift Godric.   
“You slaughtered my entire family for a couple of goats.” Eric was appalled, while goats were wealth back then, the fact that his father had died for them was insulting.   
He saw his father, sitting beside his mother on his throne in their cabin. They were the only ones with a cabin structure, the rest of the tribes lived in caves. He had newly brushed wolf furs and shining gems on his brow from the coastal regions they had pillaged. He sat noble and a bit overbearingly with his broadsword on his hip, and the crown that now lay before him on his head.   
“No.”  
“Just shut the fuck up and die, please.” Eric was exasperated, insulted, and enraged all at once.   
He heard his father’s voice in his head, “Erik, svär mig. Du kommer att hämnas oss” [Eric, swear to me. You will revenge us].  
“I swore to my father” he stated back stonily. Sophia whined in sympathy and went to move to comfort Eric, but Godric held her back.   
“Your father was a self-important, greedy little putz, and he got what was coming to him.”   
Well that did it. 

 

With a roar of rage Eric swiped at Russell and beheaded him, while at the same time the lioness broke free of Godric’s loose hold and lunged at Russell’s prone form, all angry protective maternal instinct.  
She bit his recently beheaded body but quickly let go, making the disgusted face and frantically pawing at her tongue, whining all the while. Godric looked down at her in amusement and kneeled in front of her, catching her eye and murmuring teasingly “Was the mean vampire icky my lioness?” She looked up at him with pleading eyes and quickly shifted back into her human form. He stood up and opened his arms and she wrapped herself in them.


	15. Chapter 15

Eric was beginning to come down from his rage. He smirked at his two parents, completely focused on each other and the feeling of comfort. He internally smiled but put on the front of the sulky child.

 

“I think I’ll leave you two to it.” When they didn’t make any notice of him he sighed. “I’ll just go.” He dashed out the front door and took to the air on his way back to his area. Sookie would have done something stupid, he was sure, and without Bill to limit her exploits it was apt to be catastrophic. Bill was at least good for something.   
Sookie had recently been trapped in Faerie and now Queen Mab was hunting her. While the vampires and fey hated each other, they currently had a non-confrontation treaty going on, that any abstraction, note Sookie, would blow out of the water. He was tempted to just let her tie her own hanging cord. But he really had to do something about the fey having the gall to hunt a supernatural in his area, even if Sookie was really at fault. 

 

Sophie finally detangled herself, and when Godric reached for her, not yet done, she danced backward laughing up at him. “You’re late min kung. What took you?”  
“Oh you know, Eric got us lost and wouldn’t ask for directions” he teased back. But then his face turned serious. He lunged towards her and picked her up in his arms and making her squeak in surprise. But then laughter echoed through the room and they were gone. 

 

A few minutes passed and Bill came through the door, a girl in a skimpy dress and too much makeup trailing behind him obviously glamoured to do his bidding, yet she still looked scared out of her wits. He looked around and seeing the bloody mess on the entry carpet he swore, “Shit! I’m going to be blamed for this.”

 

They flew through the air at a speed she hadn’t experienced with Godric before, so she clung to him as they headed to their childe’s area, specifically for the forests though she didn’t know it yet.   
“You are mine!” he growled as they descended and she was suddenly pushed into a tree trunk, his mouth covering hers in a brutal kiss. Well, apparently he’d had a change of heart. Finally.  
Her brain was only able to function clearly for a moment when it turned to mush in a haze of lust and sensation. He was doing things to her that she’d never felt before, or never at least when she was awake as the ongoing dreams she had experienced all during her captivity had really all been in her head.   
He released her and looking down in her eyes, which were gold now but not in anger but in desire. “Mine!” he snarled, pulling her hands up and keeping them above her head, stretching her body out for him to admire greedily. Why had he waited so long? He asked himself in the back of his mind, though most of it was lost in his desire for her. His fangs were descended now but he did not bite her, at least not yet. He ripped her dress off her and she arched against him, moving her head and exposing her throat, her hair cascading down her back in dark waves. He pushed her hair back gently and slid his fangs into her throat. She gasped at the feeling, sure it had hurt slightly at first but the feel of him pulling at her blood sent sparks of pleasure into her. He was being careful and forcing his intent to make her feel good into the bite, it was all about intent after all. His palm traced the curve of her spine and she shivered at the feeling.   
“Hmmm that feels good” she groaned out, and he smirked against her neck. One of his goals was to make her moan his name. He always likes to have some kind of goal, this wasn’t any different really. He strengthened his resolve further, releasing his fangs from her throat, licking the wound to heal it and grumbling a pleased growl against her neck.The vibrations went all the way through her causing her to sigh in pleasure. He could smell her arousal now it was pretty much swamping his senses. It was all musk and delight. He raised his head to plunder her lips in a possessive curl. Her arms curled up to circle his neck and to bring in the kiss deeper, she tugged on the hairs at the nape of the neck moaning softly. He lifted her legs to wrap around his hips positioning himself at her entrance. He was not going to wait any longer she was ready and they had waited for more than a thousand years for this level of connection. She sobbed softly as he pushed himself into her, clutching desperately at him and sighing out his name.   
“You are mine Sophia, and I will never let you go” he murmured to her. “ But never doubt that I am equally yours. And I will follow you to the ends of the earth if I have to” he growled as he started a slow pattern of thrusts. She tried to raise her hips to meet his but he held her still with his hand on her pelvis. “Say it” he murmured into her.  
“I am yours” she moaned up at him, eyes fluttering open to meet his. She hadn’t even realized they were closed, too focused on the feel of their bare bodies entwined together.   
“Yes” and then he was more, thrusting harder and faster, driving into her with a determination until he was deep inside her and she was mewling just on the precipice of reaching her climax, and he was as well.   
He reached up and tore open his wrist, thrusting it into her mouth and at the same time biting into her neck once more to encourage a blood sharing. She drank greedily, clutching the wrist to her as they shared blood. The blood might be sacred but that didn’t make it sacrosanct. She used the wrist in her hand as momentum to thrust herself forward onto his cock and bringing her face to his neck as she seized around him. The trembling of her core and the tightening of her muscles had him quickly following her over the edge, joining her in completion as he growled her name.   
They slumped together and he allowed her to rest all her weight against him, still caressing her back. 

 

When they came down from the last high, Godric rested on top of her as she regained her breath. “Mine” she whispered after her breast stopped heaving.   
“Tills det inte finns fler morgon” [Till there are no more tomorrows] he promised as he rested his forehead against hers. 

 

Howling ghosts – they reappear  
In mountains that are stacked with fear  
But you're a king and I'm a lionheart.  
And in the sea that's painted black,  
Creatures lurk below the deck  
But you're a king and I'm a lionheart.  
A lionheart.

**Author's Note:**

> I have changed the dialogue from the episodes slightly to fit the situation as well as ignoring parts, although the actual script should be understood as implied.  
> My translations are from google translate, but since that is somewhat iffy, appologies (I don't know any Swedish, but I figured Spanish - my "foreign" language - wouldn't be appropriate.  
> I got the idea for this from the song King and Lionheart by Of Monsters and Men. I wanted to play with the idea of Godric having some kind of knight in shining armor who was devoted to calling him on his bullshit.


End file.
